All articles tagged with #microbes
An ISS BioAsteroid experiment tested bacteria and a fungus on asteroid material under microgravity and Earth gravity. Microbes extracted several metals, including palladium and platinum, sometimes outperforming non-biological leaching, though results varied by metal and organism. Overall, 44 elements were extracted, 18 biologically, suggesting microbes could enable more sustainable space mining, but much optimization remains.
Louisiana researchers measuring a swamp near New Orleans find that microbes in wetlands are releasing methane at rising levels, indicating microbial, not fossil-fuel sources, are driving a growing share of methane emissions and potentially accelerating climate warming through a climate feedback loop.
Researchers studying water beneath Fukushima’s reactors found bacteria thriving in radioactive conditions not thanks to classic radiation resistance but likely because protective biofilms form on metal surfaces; some microbes can cause metal corrosion, complicating cleanup efforts, and scientists speculate marine bacteria may have ridden in with the 2011 tsunami, revealing unexpected life in extreme environments.
Scientists are exploring the use of Earth's microbes, specifically Sporosarcina pasteurii and Chroococcidiopsis, to transform Martian soil into building materials and produce oxygen, potentially enabling sustainable habitats on Mars through biocementation and 3D printing, reducing the need for transporting materials from Earth and supporting long-term human settlement.
Scientists warn that resilient waterborne amoebae like Naegleria fowleri pose a growing global health threat due to climate change, poor water infrastructure, and limited monitoring, as they can survive harsh conditions and carry deadly pathogens, necessitating integrated water management and surveillance efforts.
Mariangela Hungria won the 2025 World Food Prize for her research on nitrogen-fixing bacteria that enhance crop yields, reduce fertilizer costs, and lower pollution, offering a sustainable solution for farmers and global food security.
Scientists discovered 26 resilient bacterial species in NASA's ultra-sterile cleanrooms, raising concerns about Earth microbes contaminating Mars and challenging current sterilization protocols, with future experiments planned to test their survival in space-like conditions.
Scientists discovered 26 new bacterial species in NASA's sterile cleanrooms, which could potentially survive space travel and contaminate Mars. They plan to test these microbes in a Mars-like environment to assess their resilience, highlighting the importance of planetary protection and microbial survival strategies.
Scientists have discovered that microbes can rapidly colonize freshly cooled lava within hours of solidification, demonstrating remarkable resilience and adaptability in extreme environments, with implications for understanding life's potential on other planets like Mars.
The article discusses the discovery of aeonophiles, ultra-long-lived microbes living deep beneath Earth's surface, which challenge traditional notions of lifespan and life itself, and have significant implications for understanding life's diversity, evolution, and potential existence on other planets.
Scientists discovered microbial life in an extremely alkaline underwater environment with pH 12, using lipid biomarkers to study survival strategies of methane- and sulfate-metabolizing microbes, revealing both ancient and modern microbial populations and challenging previous assumptions about life's limits.
Scientists have discovered a new bacterial phylum, CSP1-3, deep within Earth's crust in Iowa and China, which plays a crucial role in purifying water by consuming pollutants and may be among the most ecologically significant microbes in deep soil environments, challenging previous assumptions about inertness in such habitats.
Scientists discovered nitrogen-fixing microbes beneath Arctic sea ice, challenging previous assumptions and suggesting that melting ice could increase microbial activity, potentially impacting global climate models by altering marine ecosystems and carbon absorption.
Researchers have revived microbes frozen for 40,000 years in Alaskan permafrost, raising concerns that warming temperatures could reactivate these microbes, leading to increased greenhouse gas emissions and further climate warming.
Scientists have revived microbes from 40,000-year-old Alaskan permafrost, which, when active, release carbon dioxide and methane, potentially accelerating climate change as Arctic warming continues and permafrost thaws.